International Sai Baba Exposé Efforts
Posted by Barry Pittard on February 28, 2007
The present writer was Sai Baba’s deeply loving devotee for twenty-five years and taught for two years at one of his leading institutions, the Sathya Sai College at Whitefield, via Bangalore, South India. He greatly loved this work among many wonderful boys and young men in their three years’ degree course. He lived around Sai Baba for several years while engaged in various voluntary service activities.
However, the last more than six years, largely behind the scenes, have been spent (while learning somehow to strike satisfying balances between other life calls) in coordinating roles in what some former devotees have referred to as ‘The Exposé’. It would be a deep misconception that exposing Sai Baba and the core (and core-upt) leadership of the Sathya Sai Organization is purely an Internet affair. The time has been spent planning and coordinating activities that reflect the concerns of former devotees in many countries – who interface with real communities, which they are able to warn against this powerful cult. It is not the good works that we contest; it is the cover-up of great wrong-doing by arguably India’s most historically powerful and influential guru – one who is about to crashingly refute his own statement that he is on the point of going abroad.
Not all former devotees felt comfortable mixing with Rationalist and Humanists. But how narrow! Goodness is simply where it is to be found. Some simply would not fraternize, and the reverse was also the case.
As a result of many internationally networked Exposé efforts – hugely demanding of time and energy that one would frankly have preferred to invest in other life pursuits – Sai Baba and his officials have had, to take but one example, to reckon with many rude setbacks to his Organization’s attempts to affliliate with mainstream and respected organisations and instititions. What do they make of the universities, religious and civic institutions, groups, politicians and so on who now back away quicksmart from the Organization? The extreme nastiness of its world chairman, Dr Michael Goldstein, seen by millions in the BBC television documentary ‘The Secret Swami’, and the snide and compassionless references to former devotees by deputy chairman Dr G. Venkataraman, are anything but spiritual. Not to mention others like Ashok Bhagani, Thorbjørn Meyer, Steen Piculell, J. Jagadeesan, Sri T. Ramanathan, and other leaders that any number of well-informed devotees themselves have a real difficulty in stomaching.
Do the leaders tell the real impact of this movement of exposure to their rank-and-file? What cult leaders anywhere are prone to do that? Enough members will guess at it in any case, because so many well-laid plans have come unstuck. It will be, in the final upshot, those now in the Sathya Sai Organization who are more questioning and honest who will deliver the correct information to history – namely, that former devotees around the world have told the truth, and Sai Baba and his top officials have strayed far from it.
Sai Baba’s defenders frequently deride the efforts of former devotees and other critics to expose him, as though it is a frivolous and worthless pursuit to be engaged in seeking the truth, researching, analysing and writing articles that are bound to be attacked no matter how much time is put into getting them right, maintaining trouble-prone websites, debriefing newly-excitted members, submitting extensive and rigorous documentation to many third-party authorities, and setting up support systems such as psychological counselling and legal advice for survivors of Sai Baba and his cult.
The many successful international actions seeking to expose him and the powerful organisation that covers up for him are not likely to abate. And certainly not in 2007, as this blog will, trustfully, quite soon be able to chronicle.
Further Reading
The BBC’s ‘The Secret Swami’ – A Revision
BBC Hidden Camera in ‘Secret Swami’. Ethical?
Guru Sex Abuse Testimony To BBC – After Years of Silence
Indian Minister Shields Sai Baba on BBC television
Probed On Male Sex Abuse, Sai Baba Evicts BBC TV Team
V.P.B. Nair. B.Premanand. R.Priddy: Sai Baba Bedroom Killings
Exposure of Sathya Sai Baba. Media Source List
Video Resources
The Secret Swami (BBC Television):
(154 MB, Broadband)
Seduced (DR, Danish Broadcasting, Denmark’s national television and radio broadcaster):
(80 MB, Broadband)
http://home.hetnet.nl/~seduced/seduced.wmv
(21 MB, Modem)
Right Hand. Sleight Hand. Watch Sai Baba Cheat With Sacred Ash (Film clip)
BBC and Other Film Footage Shows India’s Top Guru Sathya Sai Baba Faking Miracles
BBC Footage Exposes Fake Sathya Sai Baba Miracle « Call For Media and Government Investigation
Sathya Sai Baba Chief, Dr Goldstein, Explodes. “I am the consummate professional” (See Film Clips)
Raising ever more serious questions about how spiritual is the head of what Sathya Sai Baba has called THE divine organization in the world,
Michael Goldstein explodes with anger (710kbs)
at the BBC’s perfectly reasonable questions about accountability
Dr. Goldstein again reveals his higher self (1.500Kb)
Michael Goldstein and the sexual allegations (2,10 Mbs)
Michael Goldstein admits his view is merely a belief (456kbs)
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General
Excerpt From Public Petition
(Note: You may prefer to proceed straight to the Petition):
Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization
There is a Spanish version available:
Subscribe to Call for media and government investigation of Sathya Sai Baba
